Effect of Stress Magnitude on Pit Growth Rate of 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel in Chloride Environments

Abstract

In this study, a corrosion pit test using notched bar specimens was conducted to investigate the effect of stress magnitude on the pit growth rate. To produce the notched bar specimens, 304 austenitic stainless steel was used, which is a material used for spent nuclear fuel canisters. Furthermore, three levels of stresses were generated using different notch radii. The corrosion pits were quantitatively measured through scanning electron microscopy and analyzed by finite element analysis. Based on experimental data, the pit growth rate model is suggested in terms of the stress and exposure time.

Keywords

• austenitic stainless steel
• pit growth rate
• stress magnitude effect